Two buildings were torn down after being purchased by the Village of Sparta to make way for a new handicapped parking lot for Rogers Park.

By Jeffrey Cunningham

Sparta village officials have purchased the two buildings just south of the Rogers Park parking lot for $40,000 from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The former gas station and outbuilding have been razed and the vacant land will be turned into a handicapped-accessible parking lot and additional parking for the park.

The MDEQ had a $500,000 lien on the property for years, as there had been some environmental cleanup that needed to be done before the property could be used again. But the gasoline storage tanks that had been on the property had already been removed and most of the other contaminants removed from the property, according to Village Manager Martin Super. “We offered them $50,000 for the property with $10,000 held back for environmental cleanup and they took the offer,” he said.

The new parking lot will make it much more convenient for those who need to park closer to the park to get to concerts and festivals held there. “Once the lot is finished this will be really nice for our seniors and other who haven’t been able to come to events because they had to walk too far,” Super said. The lot is expected to be completed later this year.